Nothing More Than Feelings
by Gryphlet
Summary: RW HG. Why is it so hard for people to just say what they feel?
1. Denial

Hello to everyone who has stumbled across my fanfic. I've written fanfics before, but never for Harry Potter. I've read all the books and try to keep my story as accurate as I can. Please review, cuz if no one is enjoying this, I won't update. I do not own anything related to Harry Potter.

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**Nothing More Than Feelings**

(takes place during year 5, in an alternate universe, where they don't have to worry about things like 'Voldemort', and can focus on their social lives! haha)

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**Chapter 1 - Denial**

A lanky red-head stared at the wizard chess board, deep in thought, deliberating his next move. "Queen to B 6." he said with a satisfied smirk, folding his arms and relaxing back into his favorite squashy armchair.

His opponent ran a hand through his own black disheveled hair. His electric green eyes scanned over the pieces through his round glasses. After a moment, he bit his lip, in an attempt to hide the grin that was spreading across his face. "Check mate." he proclaimed victoriously, as his Knight smashed Ron's queen into pieces.

Ron pounded his fist on the table and groaned in defeat, making the rest of the Gryffindor common room look up at him, including Hermione, who was studying in her usual seat by the fire. Ron cowered into his chair from having so many pairs of eyes on him. "Sorry!" he whispered sheepishly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "But seriously Harry, I must be a really good teacher… that's like the 5th time you've beaten me this week."  
"7th actually, but who's counting." Harry laughed softly as Ron glared at him.

A deep sigh echoed from across the room, behind a rather large text book. Hermione huffed, "If you boys studied half as much as you played that silly game…"

"We'd what… be know-it-alls like you? No thank you." said Ron bluntly.

Hermione just rolled her eyes at this. She was quite used to Ron's teasing by now. "I was just about to say, before I was so RUDELY interrupted," she directed a glare at Ron, "that we have a Hogsmeade visit next month, which happens to fall on Valentine's Day." She looked meaningfully back and forth between Ron and Harry. "I think that if either of you want a chance to go, you'd better finish your essay for Snape on 'Lobalug poison and its uses' by then." She ended this rant with a nod, then buried her face behind her massive 'Ancient Runes' text book.

Harry broke his gaze from Hermione's book to look back at Ron. "Valentine's Day!? Are you going to.. You know.. Ask anyone to go with you?" Harry bit his lip again and started zoning out, staring at the wall, thinking deeply about if there was anyone he would want to bring.

Ron shrugged and started fiddling with the broken chess pieces on the table. "Dunno," he replied. "I don't think she'd say yes."

Snapping out of his trance, Harry's eyes sparkled slightly at this news. "Really! Well who is she?! You've never said you fancied anyone."

At this point, half of the common room was staring intently at Ron again. Even Hermione gave her homework a break and peeked around her enormous text book to hear this bit of gossip. Ron felt his ears and the back of his neck burning crimson. "N..No one. Just some.. Uh.. Ravenclaw girl." he sputtered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw Hermione pout as she hid her face back behind her book. "I.. Don't really want to talk about it." He finished as he gazed over in Hermione's direction.

"Uh, alright then." Harry mumbled, noticing the longing in Ron's eyes as he gazed at Hermione. He smirked to himself, knowing exactly who Ron's mystery girl was, even if Ron wasn't ready to admit it himself. "I think I'm going to go up to bed." he said as he began to stand. "..you coming?"

"I.. In a minute." Ron coughed. Trying to find something worthy of staying in the common room to do, he began to clean up the chess pieces.

"Alright then, see you." He turned to head upstairs, saying goodnight to Hermione and Ginny on the way.

Ron pushed the chess set to the side of the table, then took a deep breath. He rose from his seat and walked over to Hermione. He stood there for a moment with his jaw hanging open, but found himself unable to form the words that he wanted to say… or any words at all for that matter.

Feeling his gaze on her, Hermione lowered her book to her lap and met his eyes. She managed to suppress a giggle, but couldn't help grinning at the ridiculous look on his face. "So, do you want to talk to me about this Ravenclaw girl?"

Ron sighed with defeat and flopped down in the chair across from her. He was suddenly very interested in the hearth rug, since he played with the tassels on it with his shoe instead of looking at her. "I dunno. I… don't think she'd go with me 'cause… I mean… she's really smart and well…" he just shrugged and glanced up at Hermione, then back down at his shoes, "..she probably thinks I'm a moron."

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh before closing her book and putting it on the table next to her. "Ron, why do you act as though you have the intelligence of a flobberworm? You're not Merlin, but you're not a troll either." She grinned over at him. "It's your personality that will win her over. Trust me."

His eyes rolled back in his head at this. "You sound like my mother!" he groaned and covered his face with his hands. "People only say that to really ugly people!" he mumbled through his fingers.

Now it was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes. Slowly she stood up from her chair and walked over to him. She reached out and gently pealed his hands away from his face. "I never said I thought you were ugly Ron. And if I did, I'd be lying." She grinned down at him before turning back around to gather up her books.

A confident grin slowly began to form on Ron's face. Hermione didn't think he was ugly? She thought he was the opposite of ugly! "Um, Hermione? Did.. Anyone ask you to the next Hogsmeade visit?"

Her back still to him, she packed her books into her bag. "Yes actually, Viktor has arranged to meet me there. Why do you ask?"

Ron's heart sank, and his temper flared. "Oh, you're still seeing Vicky? Perhaps you should tell him to go to Quidditch practice instead…. His team lost their last 2 games, you know."

"Yes, I know Ron! You don't have to rub it in my face every time I mention his name!" she retorted in a huff. "And his name is VIKTOR. I don't know what it is you have against him all of a sudden. I thought he was your favorite Quidditch player!"

He rose from his chair and began heading for the staircase to the dormitories. "Not anymore." he grumbled as he passed her. On his way up the stairs, he mumbled to himself, "What I wouldn't give to be him. He has everything I want."

Finding Ron's behavior very odd, Hermione sat back down on her chair for a moment. "He couldn't possibly be jealous. What would he see in a mousy book-worm like….. Oh! No it couldn't be." For a moment, she played with the idea that the 'Ravenclaw girl' was just a clever cover-up. "Ron, clever?!" she giggled to herself. She thought about it a bit more, then dismissed the idea and stood up. "No, I couldn't be that lucky." Draping her extremely heavy bag of books over her shoulder, Hermione retreated up to her dormitory for the night, her mind replaying her conversation with Ron over and over again.


	2. Deception

Chapter 2 - Deception

For the next few weeks, Harry kept catching Ron grumbling incoherently to himself. Some of the phrases that Harry _could _comprehend were "That stupid.. Foreign.. Git…" and, "He can't even say her name right!". It was obvious that something was bothering Ron, but Harry wouldn't pry it out of him, for he already knew exactly what was going on. "If you need to talk about anything Ron, anything at all, you know you can come to me, right?" Harry constantly reminded him.

Ron would reply with something along the lines of, "Yeah, thanks mate." They'd pat each other on the back and continue on their way. But Ron couldn't bring himself to talk about his feelings. He thought it to be a sign of weakness. Besides, he wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling. As Hermione had so nicely put it, Ron has 'the emotional range of a teaspoon.'

Hermione was sparsely seen in the common room anymore. Whenever Harry and Ron _did_ see her, she seemed rather detached, and an odd aroma followed her.

"Perhaps she burns incense to help her study better?" Harry said to Ron with a shrug.

Ron scrunched up his nose after catching a whiff of her, "I hope so! I thought it was a new perfume."

"Its oddly familiar though," said Harry.

The next few weeks flew by, since they were all so busy with homework. Harry and Ron worked especially hard trying to finish their Lobalug essay, which Snape had extended… requiring them to write at least 5 feet of parchment on the subject. Needless to say, they both made their handwriting as large as they could get away with.

Finally, the day before their Hogsmeade visit had arrived. Both boys sat in the common room, putting the finishing touches on their papers. "Good enough," said Harry, tossing his belongings into his bag in record time. "I've got Quidditch practice. Angelina said she'd jinx me if I was late again." He slung his heavy bag awkwardly over his shoulder, and walked with a slight limp towards his dormitory.

"Don't forget, you promised we'd play Chess when you're finished," Ron called after Harry, never breaking his eyes from his parchment, continually scribbling his essay.

Harry shook his head. "Hopefully you'll be done by then! We should've listened to-"

"If you say her name I'll clock you!" Ron grumbled, glaring at Harry out of the corner of his eye.

"Why? Am I supposed to say 'She-who-should-not-be-named' now?" He laughed as he disappeared up the stairs.

-A few hours later-

Hermione was making her way back toward the portrait of the Fat Lady, when she spotted Harry.. Who was practically limping down the hallway, using his broomstick as a cane. "Harry! What happened? Are you alright?" Hermione shrieked as she ran over to help him, but Harry just waved at her dismissively.

He was an absolute mess. His Quidditch robes were ripped and grass stained, his hair was even more disheveled than usual (if that's even possible), speckled with bits of dirt and strands of grass, and his glasses were broken yet again. Still breathing heavily, he gasped out, "Practicing Wronski feint,… hit by a bludger,… didn't fall very far, but tumbled half way across the field." Practically dragging himself towards the portrait hole, tracking mud through the halls behind him. "I'm okay, really."

"You boys and your games, as if we don't have enough danger in our lives." She sighed while scanning the muddy corridor disapprovingly, and immediately pulled out her wand. "Scourgify," she said with a flick of her wrist, leaving the floors spotless. "Filch would've been furious." She turned her attention back to Harry. "You sure you're alright?" she said concerned, scanning him over for injuries. She began to raise her wand towards Harry's glasses.

"Yeah, I'm fine. That's Quidditch for you, and yes.. I know.."

They both spoke in unison. "Oculous repairo." His glasses instantly mended themselves while Hermione began to brush the debris off of Harry's robes and out of his hair.

"Erm, by the way Harry, Professor McGonagall told me she needs to speak with you."

"What did I do now?" he sighed heavily, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Just… tell Ron I'll be a little late for our game."

Ron was still working on his essay when Harry climbed back through the portrait hole.

"About bloody time." Ron said.

"Sorry! I was practicing the um… Wronski Feint, hoping maybe I could try it at our next match," said Harry as he gingerly sat down in the chair across from Ron. "But unfortunately I'm not as good at it as Krum was at the Quidditch world cup."

Ron grumbles, "Stupid Krum, what did Hermione ever see in him anyway." Irritated, he moved the pieces to their starting spots, preparing to move his first pawn.

Harry raised an eyebrow and answered Ron's rhetorical question, "Well.. He's a famous Quidditch player, he's handsome, and he treats her like she's gold… What else could a girl want?" Harry proceeds to move his knight forward.

"Thanks Harry, that makes me feel loads better. And you know you can't move your knight there."

"Oh, right." He replaced the knight with a pawn. "Sorry, one too many bludgers to the head," he said through a nervous laugh before changing the topic. "But seriously Ron, it's the truth! Why does Krum bother you so much? If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were jealous!"

"Shh!" Ron whispered. "Keep it down will you?" He scanned the room, double checking that they were alone. "Alright, you have to promise not to repeat this to anyone."

"Of course, what are best mates for? Tell me." Harry gazed at him intently, awaiting Ron's words.

"Well.. You figured right, I am jealous." Ron admitted, turning a bit red around his ears.

"Tell me something I don't know Ron!" Harry laughed.

Ron groaned, "Come on now, this is serious!" he said with a frown, rolling one of Harry's fallen pawns between his fingers.. Keeping his eyes fixed on it instead of Harry. "I'm insanely jealous. It tears me apart inside just hearing his name… thinking of them together." he lets out a sigh "It should be ME that she thinks is handsome, and ME that treats her like gold. Not that caveman."

Harry stared at him in shock. "Um, well, you need to tell her how you feel, instead of arguing with her all the time. I'm sure the constant bickering doesn't help to make her fancy you."

"I KNOW, Harry," he groaned, "I don't do it on purpose, it just happens! She just… gets me so frustrated some times… to the point where I don't know if I should yell at her or just snog her silly. She makes me feel like I've gone completely bonkers. Is this what love feels like?" Feeling Harry's gentle hand on his, Ron looked up to see tears in Harry's eyes.

As if Ron wasn't confused enough by this, at that very moment, Harry walks thought the portrait whole into the common room, carrying his broom. He glances over to the far table where he was to meet Ron, only to see Ron and.. Himself.

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DUN DUN DUN!!!! hehe.. more to come. 


	3. Revelation

(sorry for the delay.. YEARS of delay! But seeing as people are still reading this story, I figure I should post what I have already written as the next chapter, though it is really more of a summary for myself to elaborate on than a real fleshed out chapter. thank you for your kind comments thus far)

Chapter 3 - Revelation

Ron looks back and forth between the two Harrys. The Harry playing chess looks frantic, then suddenly jumps up and starts running toward the stairs to the dormitories.

The Harry in the doorway yells to Ron, "Ron stop him! He's an imposter!"

Ron says, "How do I know YOU'RE not the imposter?"

"Because I'm not the one looking guilty and fleeing!"

"Good point."

The imposter runs up the girls staircase, Ron starts to run up after imposter, and the stairs collapse, turning into a slide, making both Ron and the imposter come sliding down to the foot of the staircase.

"Get off me!" the imposter Harry yells. Ron and Harry pin him down as he thrashes, trying to break free of their grip.

Harry pulls out his wand and points it in the face of his doppleganger. "Finite incantatem."

The intruders voice returns to it's normal high pitched tone. He bites his lip to keep quiet... tears filling his eyes.

"Who are you!" Harry yells, infuriated. "Are you me from the future.. Using a time turner? Or are you not me at all?" But his doppleganger won't talk.

After a few moments, the imposter's green eyes start to fade to a deep brown. His previously black hair now growing into very frizzy brown locks. Recognizing this imposter, Ron and Harry both let HER go. Ron shakes his head with his jaw dropped and chokes out in a hurt whisper, "Hermione, why?"


End file.
